1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a novel and improved flexible adjustable holding means and specifically to a ring shaped connector having a flexible strap for attachment to an article, such as an electrical cable, to enable the article to be attached to a support.
This invention has utility in the geophysical industry. Electrical cables and electrical cables with geophones electrically connected thereto are used in seismic acquisition systems for generating and recording seismic data. The distribution and retrieving of cables is a major activity in the gathering of seismic data. The ring shaped connector can be used in combination with a hasp as an assembly to efficiently store and retrieve electrical cables.
2. Disclosure of the Prior Art
It is known in the prior art to utilize fasteners which are attached to electrical cables. One such known fastener is a metal loop, or "D-ring" which is formed into a "U-shaped" member wherein the two ends thereof are formed into a small loop end in a plane perpendicular to the plane of the "U-shaped" loop. The cable to be attached is passed through each small loop end and the loop is crimped against the cable. The cable forms the back part of the "D-ring" and the metal "U-shaped" member forms the front part of the "D-ring". The "D-rings" with attached electrical cables are strung onto a hasp formed of a large elongated rigid member which cooperates with a hasp handle and fastener, which fastener is in the form of a "V-shaped" end, which receives and holds the elongated rigid member in a closed position. The hasp may be opened, the "D-rings" with cable removed and distributed, thereby avoiding tangling or twisting of the cable or disturbance of the "planted" geophone. For storage, the "D-rings" with cables are stored by sliding each metal portion of the "D-rings" onto the elongated rigid member of the hasp and to form cable loops, with or without geophones as the case may be, which hang from and are stored on the hasp.
It is also known in the art to utilize so called "one-way" strapping devices for fixedly joining cables in electrical systems. Generally, the strapping devices form a number of single conductors into a cable-type assembly or join several cables together for neatness and structural rigidity.
Further, it is known in the medical field to use non-removeable patient identification tags or bracelets which are attached to a patient's wrist or leg. Such identification tags utilize a strap arrangement to form a loop which is larger than the wrist or leg to permit movement or sliding of the identification tag therebetween.